Carpet shampoo apparatus

ABSTRACT

A liquid shampoo apparatus for carpets where the liquid is fed to the cleaning members under a relatively constant head of liquid, the liquid being contained in a reservoir and the lower rear wall of the reservoir has a series of pockets or auxiliary reservoirs extending along its length so that due to liquid surge in use the liquid is transferred to the feed reservoir at the upper end of the apparatus.

United States Patent [1 1 Smyth Dec. 16, 1975 CARPET SHAMPOO APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Donald Nation Smyth, South Plympton, Australia [73] Assignee: S. A. Brush Company Limited,

Albert Park, Australia 22 Filed: Aug. 28, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 501,053

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 5, 1973 Australia 5876/73 [52] US. Cl. 401/274 [51] Int. Cl. A46B 11/04 [58] Field of Search 401/274, 275, 137, 47; 15/50, 52, 97, 98, 103.5; 222/160, 162, 191

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,768,401 10/1956 Becker et a1 401/138 X 3,667,853 6/1972 Smyth 401/274 X Primary Examiner-Lawrence Charles Attorney, Agent, or FirmOldham & Oldham Co.

[57] ABSTRACT A liquid shampoo apparatus for carpets where the liquid is fed to the cleaning members under a relatively constant head of liquid, the liquid being contained in a reservoir and the lower rear wall of the reservoir has a series of pockets or auxiliary reservoirs extending along its length so that due to liquid surge in use the liquid is transferred to the feed reservoir at the upper end of the apparatus.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,926,528

U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 2 of3 US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,926,528

CARPET SHAMPOO APPARATUS This invention relates to a carpet shampoo apparatus and more particularly to a carpet shampoo apparatus for domestic use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the shampooing of carpets it is desired for the effective cleaning of the carpets for the cleaning detergent or shampoo to be applied uniformly to the carpet in its desired quantities, and also to ensure that the dirt and the like is readily removed from the pile of the carpet.

In our earlier Patent specifications relating to cleaning apparatus there is described carpet shampoo apparatus where the shampoo members comprise alternate sponges and brushes acting at an angle to the intended line of operation of the apparatus, so that the brushes and sponges have a shearing action on the carpet to work the shampoo into the carpet and remove the dirt from the pile of the carpet.

The apparatus as above described has the cleaning members mounted on a housing partially supported by wheels and partially by the cleaning members, with a handle pivoted to the housing so that the apparatus can be given a to and fro motion over the surface to be cleaned.

While the known apparatus has an efficient cleaning action, it is an object of this invention to provide a cleaning apparatus where the cleaning force applied to the handle is effectively applied to the cleaning members.

Also it is a further object to provide a feed means wherein a regulated supply of the liquid shampoo is applied to the cleaning members.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus according to the invention there is provided a liquid shampoo apparatus for shampooing surfaces such as carpets and the like, the apparatus comprising an elongated body member, cleaning members at one end of the body member, the body member including a reservoir adapted to contain shampoo liquid, characterised by a feed reservoir in the body member remote from the cleaning members to supply liquid to the cleaning members, and feed means whereby the surge of liquid produced by the to and fro motion during operation feeds the liquid to the feed reservoir.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a part sectional view of the apparatus along the lines I I of FIG. 3, the handle and lid being shown separately,

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the apparatus from the top, and

FIG. 3 is an underneath view of the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The carpet shampoo apparatus includes a housing 1 having at its lower end the cleaning members 2, a reser voir 3 for the cleaning liquid. and a handle 4, whereby the force applied to the handle to cause the to and fro motion is applied directly to the cleaning members, the handle 4 being rigidly attached to the housing 1.

The cleaning shampoo members 2 are disposed in zig-zag formation within the housing 1 on the lower end thereof, and can comprise a series of cleaning members each consisting of alternatively placed brushes 5 and resilient sponge discs 6, the brushes 5 preferably having radiating tufts of relatively narrow width radiating from a boss, and being assembled so that there are perhaps four brushes on an axle with spaces therebetween to take three sponge discs having a diameter preferably slightly less than the brushes these preferably being as described in the above mentioned Application.

Two of such series of cleaning members can conveniently be mounted from a single axle support 7 clipped into the housing over a projection 11, the axles 8 from the axle support 7 projecting in. opposite directions but at an angle to each other so that both of these cleaning members are disposed at an angle transverse to the line of travel of the unit. The other ends of the axles 8 fit into slots 9 formed in members 10. Thus when one of the members sweeps towards the left, the other sweeps towards the right, these cleaning member units being repeated along the sweeper so that a zig-zag series of cleaning members extend across the sweeper, all being free to rotate on their shafts and each being proviced with alternate brush and sponge sections.

The free rotation is however not necessary as the assemblies can be locked together to rotate as one unit. This can be achieved by having inter-engaging bosses on the brushes and sponges, or friction at contiguous surfaces can be used to achieve this.

The lower parts of the cleaning members project below the housing 1, the housing at the lower end being generally of channel shape 12 with the lower surfaces of the channel extending upwardly from its lowermost central point where the cleaning member axles are clipped to the housing.

On top of the housing and extending generally vertically upwardly but preferably slightly rearwardly from the housing is the reservoir 3, the reservoir in effect forming the body of the apparatus, the body at the top having an opening 13 closable by a lid 14 with the handle 4 being attached to the lid 14 which can be securely locked to the body.

The lid 14 can be clipped onto the top of the housing, the lid 14 having a mounting portion 15 integral therewith but separated therefrom by a flexible hinge line 16. The mounting portion 15 has ribs 17 with lugs 18 to engage in corresponding slots (not shown) in the housing so that the ribs engage in the slots to prevent removal thereof.

The handle 4 fits into the lid, the handle being hollow and opening into the lid and at its lower end being provided with a non-return valve 19, and openings 20 in the upper end of the handle for reasons to be explained later.

Thus by manipulating the handle the apparatus can be moved over the surface in a to and fro motion the force of the operator being applied directly to the cleaning members.

The shampoo or detergent usually of liquid form can be placed into the reservoir 3 together with the desired amount of water if necessary, and the liquid is fed in the desired re gulatable quantities to the cleaning members. In order to efficiently control the flow it is desired that the feed of the cleaning fluid to the cleaning members be uniform and one way to ensure this is to have the feed take place under a constant head of fluid. Thus the reservoir has at its upper end adjacent the lid 4 a feed 3 reservoir 21, this leading by a flexible tube 22 or conduit or the like to a distribution feeder 23 above the cleaning elements.

In use the apparatus operates at an angle, and the to and fro motion is relied upon to ensure that the feed reservoir 21 is kept supplied with liquid. However to assist in this, particularly when the main reservoir 3 is nearly empty, one or more supplementary reservoirs 24 are formed in the rearmost, that is the lowermost wall 25 of the main reservoir 3. These supplementary reservoirs 24 are of substantial length across the main reservoir, but have relatively small width so that these are in the form of deep slots. Thus due to the to and fro motion the liquid is fed or conveyed progressively upwardly along the lower sloping wall 25 to feed into the uppermost or feed reservoir 21. The number of supplementary reservoirs can be varied but in most cases two would appear to be sufficient.

Suitable control means can be provided to regulate the flow and this in its simplest form can comprise a pressure member 26 to squeeze the plastic tube 22 feeding the liquid from the feed reservoir 21 to the feeding distributor 23. The pressure member preferably comprises a bar rod or plate on a lever or handle 27, the pressure member being guided in slots at right angles to the tube and the lever or handle being movable and guided by pins in further slots, the further slots having restrictions or detent like means so that the handle or lever is held in its position, thus either cutting off flow or allowing flow to the desired degree depending on the compression of the tube.

The distribution feeder 23 preferable comprises a tube or like hollow member with holes 28 to allow the fluid to flow or drip to the cleaning members, preferably there being one hole per sponge.

The lid 4 preferably has sealing means so that the liquid or froth will not escape in use, and to allow the entry of air into the reservoir so that an air lock will not occur in use, the air flows down the hollow handle and past the non-return valve, which prevents the liquid and froth passing up the handle.

The lid 14 has a catch member 29 flexibly attached thereto, so that the catch in its engaged position can move into and engage behind a locking member 30, with the locking member 30 engaging in a slot or recess 31 in the catch member 29. Hence to open the lid it is merely necessary to press the catch member 29 to disengage the catch.

It will be realised that in use the shampoo apparatus is not used vertically as shown in the drawings, but is inclined to the horizontal at angles which could vary between 30 and 60. At this inclined angle as the apparatus is moved in a to and fro motion, the liquid will surge back and forth along the sloping rear wall of the container, a portion of the liquid being caught in the supplementary reservoirs so that the liquid is gradually transferred up the wall into the feed reservoir.

In use the feed reservoir is kept at a relatively constant height and this produces a relatively constant head of liquid to be fed to the cleaning members resulting in a relatively constant flow of liquid to these members. If the feed were taken directly from the bottom of the container then there would be a great variation of flow of the liquid depending on whether the container is full or nearly empty, and in the present invention this problem is overcome whereby a virtually constant feed or a feed which varies to an exceptable extent occurs.

The unit thus produced is a very simple and a light unit, the various portions perferably being moulded from one of the known rigid plastics material and which can easily be operated by the user and is such that it would be effectively used to shampoo in awkward corners and virtually up to the wall so that the whole of the carpet can easily be shampooed.

I claim:

l. A liquid shampoo apparatus for shampooing surfaces such as carpets and the like, the apparatus comprising an elongated body member, cleaning members at one end of the body member, the body member including a liquid reservoir adapted to contain the shampoo liquid, characterized by a feed reservoir in the upper end of the body member remote from the cleaning members to supply liquid to the cleaning members, and feed means comprising spaced reservoirs along a wall of the liquid reservoir whereby the surge of liquid produced by the to and fro motion during operation transfers the liquid along the spaced reservoirs to the feed reservoir.

2. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein the spaced reservoirs are spaced vertically of the body member.

3. A manually operable liquid shampoo apparatus for shampooing surfaces such as carpets and the like, the apparatus comprising an elongated body member adapted to be used in an inclined position, cleaning members operably positioned on the lower end of the body member, and a handle means on the upper end of the body member and protruding therefrom, characterized by the body member including an air tight elongated liquid reservoir adapted to contain the shampoo liquid and extend substantially the length of the body, a feed reservoir in the upper end of the body menber and operably connected to the cleaning members to supply liquid to the cleaning members, liquid being provided to the feed reservoir by the surge of liquid produced by the to and fro motion of the apparatus and by varying its angle of inclination during operation to transfer part of the liquid from the reservoir to the feed reservoir whereby a substantially constant feed pressure is provided on the liquid shampoo as fed to the cleaning members.

4. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the cleaning members are supplied by a distribution feeder above the cleaning members, the distribution feeder being supplied by a supply tube from the feed reservoir.

5. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the supply from the feed reservoir is controlled by an abutment member adapted to squeeze the supply tube.

6. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the reservoir is adapted to be closed by a lid, a hollow handle being connected to the lid the allow the passage of air into the reservoir.

7. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein the handle has at its lower end a baffle and non-return valve to prevent the passage of liquid up the handle.

8. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the distribution feeder has a series of holes therein to allow the shampoo liquid to drop directly onto the cleaning members. 

1. A liquid shampoo apparatus for shampooing surfaces such as carpets and the like, the apparatus comprising an elongated body member, cleaning members at one end of the body member, the body member including a liquid reservoir adapted to contain the shampoo liquid, characterized by a feed reservoir in the upper end of the body member remote from the cleaning members to supply liquid to the cleaning members, and feed means comprising spaced reservoirs along a wall of the liquid reservoir whereby the surge of liquid produced by the to and fro motion during operation transfers the liquid along the spaced reservoirs to the feed reservoir.
 2. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein the spaced reservoirs are spaced vertically of the body member.
 3. A manually operable liquid shampoo apparatus for shampooing surfaces such as carpets and the like, the apparatus comprising an elongated body member adapted to be used in an incLined position, cleaning members operably positioned on the lower end of the body member, and a handle means on the upper end of the body member and protruding therefrom, characterized by the body member including an air tight elongated liquid reservoir adapted to contain the shampoo liquid and extend substantially the length of the body, a feed reservoir in the upper end of the body menber and operably connected to the cleaning members to supply liquid to the cleaning members, liquid being provided to the feed reservoir by the surge of liquid produced by the to and fro motion of the apparatus and by varying its angle of inclination during operation to transfer part of the liquid from the reservoir to the feed reservoir whereby a substantially constant feed pressure is provided on the liquid shampoo as fed to the cleaning members.
 4. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the cleaning members are supplied by a distribution feeder above the cleaning members, the distribution feeder being supplied by a supply tube from the feed reservoir.
 5. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the supply from the feed reservoir is controlled by an abutment member adapted to squeeze the supply tube.
 6. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the reservoir is adapted to be closed by a lid, a hollow handle being connected to the lid the allow the passage of air into the reservoir.
 7. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein the handle has at its lower end a baffle and non-return valve to prevent the passage of liquid up the handle.
 8. A liquid shampoo apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the distribution feeder has a series of holes therein to allow the shampoo liquid to drop directly onto the cleaning members. 